Background: This is the introduction to a Nazi book published in 1941.
It outlines how political leaders are to conduct so-called Lebensfeiern,
rituals of birth, marriage, and death. The goal was, over time, to replace
the ceremonies of the church with those of the party. The Nazis had limited
success in establishing their ceremonies in the time they had, but as
this essay notes, they were planning for coming generations, and realized
it would take time and hard work to displace traditional rituals. Another section of the book deals with appropriate Nazi gravestones.

Nazi Rituals

Our movement developed as a political party whose main goal was to fight
for political power, and after that victory, to win Germanyís political
freedom and to build a new Reich. However, our idea, the National Socialist
worldview, was the foundation and guide of our political battle from the
first years of the movement and even more so in the present, marking the
character of the great spiritual, worldview controversy of our age. Even
during the struggle for power [the Nazi
term for the period 1919-1933], there were signs that
life rituals were becoming an essential part of our worldview struggle.
We think particularly of the death ceremonies of the movement before the
takeover of power. Their development continued in steadily increasing
degree, and that which we once longed for has today become certainty.

Life ceremonies have become a decisive, essential matter, an
aspect of the battle of worldviews, of the great spiritual struggle. They
are the final and critical step if the movement is to implement and realize
its total political-worldview leadership. We see today that these
life rituals are a new task in the movementís task of worldview leadership,
which alone can lead us to the final stage in our great struggle, the
total, exclusive leadership of the German people by the NSDAP.

We are in no way ignoring the great difficulties in this area. We
are absolutely clear that his goal can only be reached over decades, perhaps
even centuries. We must get used to thinking not in terms of years, but
of decades in this area. We National Socialists have never shied away
from difficulties and resistance of any kind. And one more critical fact.
Since the takeover of power, the number of life rituals held outside the
church, both in cities and the countryside, has steadily increased. The
various privately produced materials on life rituals for believers in
god [Gottgläubigen —
the Nazi term for those who professed a vague, non-Christian religious
outlook] generally do not provide acceptable guidelines
and suggestions. They are not suited to our purposes. We thus have the
pressing, absolutely essential need to publish comprehensive guidelines
to help believers in god organize life rituals. Of course, we cannot limit
ourselves only to providing guidelines for carrying out rituals, but must
also discuss in detail their significance.

It is clear that there can be no uniform schema for rituals, but rather we
must provide general advice and material that can be used in varied settings.
The basic content of rituals, growing out of their significance and meaning,
has today been established. The content of the individual rituals have
this achieved a form that probably can be seen in the broad outlines as
final. Thus, the organization of rituals laid out in these guidelines
should be seen as provisionally binding for all rituals in counties, local
groups, and party divisions. The music, songs, and banners, on the other
hand, allow many opportunities for variety, which can be used depending
on the resources available and the strengths of those organizing rituals.
The lists of music, songs, and slogans that we suggest for the individual
rituals in this book are only to assist in their selection. They are only
a part of what is suitable. Other choices may of course be made.

These guidelines have the primary task of avoiding, or keeping to a minimum,
the excesses and mistakes that have already happened in many cases.

These guidelines are intended for the Reichsgau Oberdonau. They
must serve as the basis for all life rituals conducted in the Gau.
The old guidelines issued by the Gauschulungsamt in November
1938, along with all the instructions from the individual county offices
(Kreisschulungsämten) are no longer valid. These new guidelines
will provide a common, unified foundation for the development of life
rituals in our Gau, and eliminate all unhealthy directions. This
will provide a good foundation for the coming unified regulation in all
parts of the Reich, which is a task for the future. The issues of life
rituals must mature and be clarified in the Gaue before there
can be unified guidelines for the entire Reich. These guidelines are intended
for the entire leadership of the Gau, which means not only the
partyís political leaders, but also the leaders of the individual divisions
and the leaders of the womenís and youth groups. We want every organization
in the movement to develop life rituals in a unified manner.

All political leaders, not only the Schulungsleiter, should
consider the development of life rituals to be an important task. This
includes cell and block leaders. They should all see the goal that we
want to reach in the future, and work toward it. All local group leaders
must be aware of it as well. The circle of political leaders who can conduct
life rituals must constantly grow. Thus these guidelines will be passed
from the counties to local groups. The counties have in the past had almost
exclusive responsibility for life rituals, but this must be increasingly
transferred to local groups. The local groups must grow into their new
leadership task and take on the organization and carrying out of life
rituals. The local groupís Schulungsleiter needs to be supported
and assisted. During the transition, the support of the county office
(Kreisschulungsamt) is still essential. And of course the guidelines
may be given to party members involved in or interested in life rituals
as well.

For simplicity, in treating the individual rituals we have always assumed
they are being conducted by a party political leader. When these guidelines
are being followed by one of the partyís divisions, the role of the political
leader should of course be taken by the corresponding affiliate leader.

All political leaders, particularly local group leaders, should be familiar
with the comprehensive material on weddings and registry office formalities
so that they can be implemented in their area as rapidly as possible.
A special printing of a condensed version will by sent by the communal
department to all mayors and registry office officials throughout the
Gau to ensure uniform implementation.

One essential and decisive principle must guide everything. Our
life rituals may not be merely the ritual of the party or of one of its
divisions, but rather they must grow beyond the circle of the party and become
over the coming years and decades the custom of the people. The first
signs are present even today. We must see this goal with complete clarity,
and devote our full efforts to it, for when we achieve it, we will have
achieved final victory.